Roads in QLD and NSW claim 611 lives in 2013

IT WILL be of little comfort for the families of those 611 people killed on Queensland and New South Wales roads in 2013 to know that compared to the year before, there was less bloodshed.

But it is something.

As the clock struck midnight to mark the end of 2013, 272 people had died in Queensland road crashes, down eight on the year before.

In NSW, it was 339, down 30 on the year before.

However, it is hard to believe the road safety message is reaching those who most need to hear it.

On Wednesday, Queensland Police reported that as part of their Christmas blitz, 78 were busted for drink driving including one who was more than six times the legal limit at 0.314% in a coastal suburb of Brisbane.

As of Wednesday afternoon, two had been killed on Queensland roads and 10 on NSW roads over the Christmas break.

One of these was a nine-year-old girl who died in an early afternoon crash on Monday, in the NSW Hunter region.

On this latest crash, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner John Hartley said even with fewer road deaths than a year earlier, "this latest death is disheartening".

"Any fatality is a tragedy and police are doing everything in our power during Operation Safe Arrival to prevent more lives being lost on our roads," he said.

The national road toll sits at 20, with the counting period to end early tomorrow morning.

Qld road toll (2013): 272.

Qld Christmas toll: 2.

NSW road toll (2013): 339.

NSW Christmas toll: 10.

National Christmas toll: 20.

Queensland's holiday toll runs from Dec 23 to Jan 3, while the NSW holiday toll runs from Dec 20 to Jan 3. The national holiday toll runs from Dec 24.